The Pareto Principle, popularly known as the 80/20 rule, suggests that as much as 80 percent of our outputs are a result of only 20 percent of our efforts. When applied to personal development, this implies that some basic habits, if adhered to regularly, can yield disproportionate benefits for your mental well-being, relationships and life in general.

Of course, with social media and constant comparison, we’re more likely than ever to get lost in the sea of elaborate morning routines, costly supplements, or new productivity apps. Psychological studies, however, still seem to maintain that deeper and basic, underlying practices are what hold the potential to irrevocably transform the manner in which you navigate life.

This transformation is hardly ever about discovering the ideal habit. Rather, it’s about determining the ones with high leverage that will cause a ripple effect of positive changes in all surrounding areas of your life. Here are three of these habits, which science has proven to be the most powerful catalysts for lasting change.

Exercising is, in all probability, the most effective habit that anyone can have. It has been proven that even simple and light exercise (like walking, stretching and brief cardio workouts) can give you the biggest dividends for your mood, energy levels, resistance to stress and sleep quality. However, adding an element of social connection to exercise supercharges its potential as a high-leverage habit.

A large review of 15 studies, involving over 190,000 participants, showed that simply doing half the recommended amount of exercise........

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